I did my Finish It Friday projects. Did you? The bike trailer is now listed on Craig’s List—hooray! And I donated a box of books to the library. And I have to say, I was really happy that I had posted on my blog to say I would do these things. There were a bunch of times over the weekend that I wanted to talk myself out of doing these projects. Listing the bike trailer was a pretty involved project—get bike trailer out of storage (thanks, Jay!), set it up (thanks, Jay!), pump air in the tires, vacuum off the dust, clean the inside and outside, take photos, re-size the photos (thanks, Jay!), write a product description, and upload the photos and description onto Craig’s List. None if it was hard, but indeed it was time consuming. Thank goodness for accountability—knowing that I had said I was going to do this project provided the extra bit of motivation to achieve the almighty check mark of completion on my to-do list. Hooray!
After my Friday post I had this question from tchrtiff: Any suggestions on selling on Craig’s List? I have some stuff I’d like to try and sell but I really don’t know how to go about it–how to list, what to say, how to price, where to meet people who want to buy, etc. Any tips you have would be appreciated. Thanks. Have a good weekend.
This was my first time using Craig’s List. We have given away some things via Craig’s List before, some bigger items that we didn’t want to just take out to the curb. I have used eBay before, and found this process to be much simpler (and it’s free!) Usually, however, I donate items we are letting go of, just due to the time involved in selling. But, I did find the Craig’s List process to be really straight forward. Here’s what I did.
I just went to www.craigslist.org and found my city. Then, I simply filled in the product name, price, your email address (which can be kept private so it isn’t posted directly on the site), product description, and photos. As far as setting the price goes, Jay had done a bit of research ahead of time to see what this type of item normally sells for, and then we set a price that seemed fair to both buyer and seller. (Mind you, the item hasn’t sold yet, so we’ll see how good we are at pricing used bike trailers!) But what I would recommend is to browse around on Craig’s List and get a feel for what items comparable to what you’re selling go for, and then set your price.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on selling on Craig’s List. If you’re experienced with selling items on Craig’s List (or buying them), what are your tips? What makes for a great listing that’s sure to sell? Or what do you look for when buying on Craig’s List? (And I’m also looking forward to hearing what you finished this weekend, too!) Thanks!
No experience on Craig’s List but appreciate your detailed explanation!
I finished the journaling cards for my 1994-1995 photo album, so I’m essentially “done” with my album journaling for now. I have been working backwards for awhile.
Hi, I just googled “organizing blogs” and found your site. Can’t wait to have a look around and learn some tips.
I’ve sold on Craigslist with success. The only negative thing is that sometimes you get inquiries and interest, even some offers from people who never follow through. Hopefully, your city and experience will be different.
Kathy
Finish it Friday:
I have been organizing my scrapbooks. Today I did all the finishing touches and put my page protectors on! Feels good!
I finally gave up on the idea of a garage sale and listed a bunch of the twins’ old outfits (the ones in ‘mint/new’ condition) on Craig’s List a couple of weeks before Easter. Other than one lady emailing to ask if she could by the (only) Tommy Hilfiger dress that was listed for $10 for a quarter, I never got a nibble on anything. That dress still had the tags and was originally $95! So, not a great experience for me. The time involved was not worth the non-response. Most of the items I listed were priced at $2-$5 and were new or used once and looked new.I really thought the gorgeous Easter dresses would have sold before the holiday but they didn’t. My area is just not a Craig’s list hotspot, I guess.
Good luck with the trailer and congrats on getting your ‘to do’ stuff done!
Not much experience with Craig’s list, but, I wanted to say great job on getting your trailer listed…I do a lot with Ebay..and taking the photos and getting them ready is the part I dread most! I find I wait until I have a lot to sell, then take all the pics and go from there. I operate in an assembly line mode if you will, and, it goes pretty fast. I’m always hugely relieved when I’m done.
Can anyone please direct me to the word doc for the Travel Planner? I can’t seem to locate it.
Thanks in advance!!
Barbara
Craigslist has been both wonderful and very frustrating, but I’ve learned some things over the years that I’d love to share. First, when selling, ask for the amount you’d like. If it doesn’t sell, you can relist later with a lower price or put OBO (or best offer) which invites people to offer an amount lower than what you’re asking. Be very careful when giving out personal info, and don’t give out more info than needed. Ask to speak with them on the phone if you’d like to. Be sure you feel comfortable with the person coming to your home, and have your husband or a friend there with you, or set up a public place to meet. Bring the item to your front door or porch if possible so the person doesn’t have to come in. I have had some scares in the beginning when I let people in. Thankfully, I had planned to have my husband on the phone when they showed up, and the person noticed the phone was on, and left. Be equally careful when buying. Don’t go alone, and unless it is large, ask them to bring it to the door. Finally, there are a lot of no-shows on my craigslist. So make sure to set up pick ups at a time that you know you will be home and not mind a no-show.